The present application is directed to nuts which are designed to be clinched by or otherwise secured to carrier material, such as a panel. In the art, such nuts are referred to as "clinch nuts". More particularly, this invention is directed to an apparatus for severing a lead nut from a plurality of attached nuts and for securing such a lead nut to carrier material.
For efficient manufacture, for ease of handling or for other reasons, nuts which are to be secured to carrier material often are attached to each other in a linear arrangement, which often can become quite lengthy. For ease of handling or for other reasons, a lengthy arrangement of attached nuts is occasionally wound onto a spool or otherwise arranged in a coil-like fashion.
It is desirable to have an apparatus which incorporates, in a single action, the severing of a lead nut from a linear-arrangement of attached nuts and the securing of such a lead nut to carrier material.